Pierre Trudeau… what’s this, the National Energy Program all over again?
By Michael Wagner
Published 16 Dec 2024
In 1973, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau declared war on Alberta. He imposed an export tax on oil, an unprecedented act in Canadian history. Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed called it “probably the biggest ripoff of any province that’s ever occurred in Confederation’s history.”
Lougheed was right.
Now Pierre’s son Justin Trudeau is thinking out loud about doing the same thing.
Let’s look at the history here.
In the years after Trudeau-senior imposed his export tax on Alberta oil exports, his government would reap billions of dollars from Alberta’s non-renewable oil resources. This policy was extremely divisive and helped to generate the first serious manifestation of Alberta separatism. But, deliberately creating division between regions of Canada was a central tool in Trudeau’s political playbook.
As one prominent Liberal said, Trudeau’s 1980 election campaign was based on the underlying premise of, “Screw the West, we’ll take the rest.”
The export tax on oil would ultimately come to an end under the Brian Mulroney government in the mid-1980s, never to rear its ugly head again — until now.
With another Trudeau in power, talk of an export tax on Alberta’s oil has resurfaced. Like his father, Justin Trudeau sees the value of creating regional divisions as a means of generating voter support in Central Canada. And so, Alberta may soon suffer under the yoke of another federal export tax on oil.
But something is different this time. Unlike the 1970s, there is now an explicit principle of Canadian constitutional law that allows a province to secede from Canada by following certain political procedures.
This is what the Supreme Court of Canada held in its 1998 Reference Re Secession of Quebec decision. Namely, if a province holds an independence referendum with a clear question, and a clear majority of citizens vote in favour of independence, the federal government is obligated to negotiate with that province over its independence.
In 2000, Parliament fleshed out some of the details of this process with the Clarity Act.
The key point is that a province can peacefully and legally secede from Canada through holding a referendum on independence. This option was not as clearly on the table in the 1970s as it is now.
Therefore, the current Alberta government of Danielle Smith would be fully within its rights to hold a referendum on Alberta’s independence.
Normally, one would think a separatist party would need to win a provincial election in order for Alberta to have this kind of referendum. However, strictly speaking, that is not necessary because the UCP government already has all the authority it needs to give Alberta voters a choice on this matter.
Albertans need to keep this in mind if an export tax is placed on our oil. We don’t need to put up with this kind of nonsense any longer. We have options. An independence referendum is just the thing to teach Justin Trudeau and his ilk that Albertans are serious about using every legal and constitutional avenue in our power to protect our province.
In 1982, Pierre Trudeau famously gave Westerners the finger — his infamous “Salmon Arm Salute.” We can return the favour to his son in spades with a successful independence referendum.
Some thoughtful people talk about the careful planning that needs to be done before holding a referendum. In their view, certain features of governing need to be developed first, such as setting up an Alberta police force and instituting an Alberta Pension Plan.
Despite the potential benefits of that kind of planning, political circumstances often move so quickly that the best laid plans of mice and men go awry. Therefore, it’s more likely that Alberta would Leeroy Jenkins its way to independence, as Derek Fildebrandt might say. (See below.)
The circumstances created by the imposition of an export tax on oil would require quick and decisive action as Albertans rise up in anger at the unjust policies of the federal government.
In the course of human events — to borrow from Thomas Jefferson — it sometimes becomes necessary for one province to dissolve the political bands which have connected it to the government of Canada, and that can be done legally and peacefully with an independence referendum.
Danielle Smith currently has it in her power to offer such a referendum to the people of Alberta. Publicly discussing the potential for such a referendum would send a powerful message to Trudeau. It would be a shot across the bow. And actually holding the referendum would make it clear that Albertans are mad as hell and aren’t going to take it anymore.
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